Portable, handheld electronic devices are in widespread use and are commonly powered by rechargeable or secondary batteries. Rechargeable batteries or battery packs substantially reduce the expense of operating such devices compared to primary or non-rechargeable batteries. At the same time a common goal in the design of electronic devices is to reduce their size. Many such devices now include the means to allow charging of the battery while it is attached to the device. Typically an external DC power supply is coupled to the device, and circuitry inside the device is used to control charging of the battery.
When a rechargeable battery is charged rapidly, heat is generated, especially as the battery reaches a full charge. The heat generated by the battery can add to the heat generated by the circuitry of the device and affect operation and performance of the device by heating components and circuitry inside the device. Therefore there is a need for a means by which a battery associated with an electronic device that has heat sensitive components can be recharged without interfering with the operation and performance of the device.